Description
Our goal is to ensure that every college puts in place prevention programs, crisis services, disciplinary procedures, and community outreach programs that challenge the oppressions that ultimately cause sexual violence.
Current campus sexual assault policies are ineffective, inaccessible, and often further traumatize survivors of violence. By maintaining policies that provide insufficient prevention efforts, unenforced and poorly executed disciplinary procedures, and inadequate rape crisis services, colleges create an atmosphere that condones sexual assault and silences survivors.
SAFER believes that every college sexual assault policy should include effective reporting mechanisms, fair disciplinary procedures, meaningful prevention efforts, and short and long-term crisis and counseling services for survivors. Further, all services and prevention programs should be available, accessible and relevant to the many communities present on campus. Factors such as gender, race, sexual identity, ethnicity and class often affect access to services and support, and the perception and treatment of survivors. Meaningful campus sexual assault policies must address these inequalities.
University indifference to sexual violence is a symptom of a larger culture of victim blaming, denial and silence. College policies that turn a blind eye to the incidence of assaults on campus reflect a culture that ignores and often tacitly excuses sexual violence. By providing student leaders with the support and guidance they need to build broad-based movements against sexual assault, SAFER will change this culture of violence on campus, and in the general public. Community by community, students can build a nationwide movement to break the silence and end sexual assault.
